Noir
by Kirbilius Clausius
Summary: If love can kill, hate can surely save.
1. Chapter 1

Kimberly Anne Possible, sapling-"Noir... It is the name of an ancient fate. Two maidens who govern death. Guarding the peace of the sinless children, their black touch makes possible."

1

Kim Possible pushed off of Ron's chest. They were both full clothed, if in her bed under her covers. Ever since the Lowardians, an afternoon nap with Ron felt way more refreshing than a so-called 'good night's sleep' by herself. But there was no time to think of that now.

"Ron.", she shook the boy awake. "I think that's the tw'eebs' force field. We're under attack!"

Ron shook himself out of her bed. After a *clump* of falling to the floor, he called out "I got your back, KP."

Both Ron and Kim walked down stairs, ready for anything but what happened. The house was aglow from the shine the force field gave off when actual solid matter struck it. They even placed the repeated spatter as...gun fire? From semi-assault rifles? But when Mrs. Dr. Possible tackled them, it was a complete surprise.

"Mom!", Kim objected.

"Stay down, Kimmie!", her mother screeched. Mr. Dr. Possible held down her brothers further in the living room.

Just as soon as it had begun, it was over. "What the...", Ron began.

Just as Kim was about to start giving instructions, her father did. "Boys, you check the home surveillance video and bring me what clues you can dig up. Kimmie-cub, you and Ronald check outside for anything and bring it back in. Anne, can I see you in my den?"

Mrs. Dr. Possible glanced between her husband and her daughter. "um...Sure dear. You be careful, Kimmie."

And with that Kim's parents walked away hurriedly, hand in hand as soon as the could be.

"Wow.", Ron commented. "Your dad's so freaked he didn't even think to call the police."

"My dad's a rocket scientist, Ron.", Kim corrected. "Of course he thought of it. But he didn't actually tell any one to do it."

"We can.", her brothers said simultaneously.

"No.", Kim commanded. "You check the logs like dad said. I'll ask."

Kim walked toward her father's den but slowed down once she started making out conversation.

"How can there be any doubt on who it was, Anne?", her father quickly accused. "She's been on the cover of Human and we're very well respected in our fields, publicly. It's part of the reason we've chosen to walk this path. Anyone using actual guns could only expect to get away with it if they had reasons to suspect that their tracks would be covered."

"But we've done so much.", her mother countered. "Jim, we've made our point and lived in peace for all this time. How could they come back for her now?"

"I told you when you joined this family that they wouldn't give up on her.", Mr. Dr. Possible reminded. "They're relentless. They're ancient."

"I know how the Soldats operate, Jim."

Kim thought the word to herself. Soldats did not mean anything to her. No one from any local gang to the world wide criminal networks she brought down went by that name, let alone any government agency. But if her parents thought that they could hope to cover up a drive-by shooting in the middle of broad daylight in Middleton, then they had to be someone of significance. These Soldats had to have connections. And they could be traced.

Kim backed away from her...well, never arguing but quite animatedly holding a discussion parents.

By then her parents were holding each other. Jim stroked his wife's hair. "I'll try to talk to them. See what I can do."

Anne shook her head. "You tell them that I'm going to talk to her. And if they won't do anything, we will."


	2. Chapter 2

Yori, sapling-"Noir...It is the name of an ancient fate. Two maidens who govern death. Doused in shadow, they protect the newly born."

1

Yori hummed to herself, smiling. She poured through her clothes and found hakami and gi ad infinitum.

But today was the day. The trials were going to begun.

Yori sauntered across the empty campus. Once she reached the center of the courtyard, she sat down. Folding into a lotus, she cleared her mind and waited.

The ninja smelled the first. Yori realized that if she moved an iota, the gesture would give away her discovery. Breathing, listening, sensing the very life she was about to take: that is what would give her victory. The second was revealed to her...and a third. Just a third? Yes, just a third. It was time.

Today was such a beautiful day.

Smoke burst from Yori. None of the snipers setting into position had spotted her nigh conjuring of a smoke bomb. And as such, the lasers from their rifles' sights appeared in clear view showing their exact positions.

The first did not even realize he was the first.

The second knew he was the second. The information did not help him.

The third tried to defend himself. He did not know where the girl was coming from. He did not know how the tables were turned. Yori wished she could have told him how grand his sacrifice was. But that small mercy would detract from her ability as an assassin. And so she struck only in silence.

2

Yori was nearly shaking with hope. She could be. She really could. It may not be as holy as a calling as Ultimate Monkey Master, but for a mere mortal...

Yori collapsed against Master Sensei. "All you have taught me. Everything I can be... I can make a difference, can't I?"

Master Sensei nodded. "Now you see why I told you to let Possible-sama have Master Stoppable."

Yori smile turned wistful. "To be worthy of him, I could not have him. How ironic. However, whatever loss I may suffer is the world's gain. Will it not be the survivor's duty to take on all the suffering of men in order to save men?"

Master Sensei nodded again. "You will make a fine savior, Yori."


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Betty Director, True Noir- "Noir… It is the name of an ancient fate. Two maidens who govern death. The peace of the newly born, their black hands protect."

1

It was a quaint, French style cafe. A jaunty tune accompanied the bright, perpetual afternoon atmosphere. There was even a pleasant, communal business about the place.

The woman seated at the table in the farthest corner, inhaled the feeling. She dressed casually: loose jeans with a white sweat shirt whose hood pooled around her shoulders and opened over a blue t-shirt. Her shoes were some of the most worn, once pink sneakers. Her outfit did nothing to pull attention away from the eye patch.

When the doctor walked up in full lab coat, the seated woman seemed to pay her no mind. Then she poured her a cup of tea. "I apologize that it is not mine, Mirielle."

Mrs. Dr. Possible sat down and sighed. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Kirika?"

"That was our choice.", Dr. Director replied. "How is the family we decided you got to have?"

"Kirika/"

"I'm allowed.", Betty interrupted. "How is the family that we decided only you got to have? After falling in love after condemning me for Milosh, after sending me back to a family that includes Sheldon, I deserve at least that much. So I ask again. How are they?"

Anne stared into her tea. "That is what I came to ask you your help with."

Dr. Director glared at her. "That was not what we decided."

She stood to leave. Instantly, her companion grabbed her wrist. "Please. They want her."

Dr. Director still stood.

"They're going to do to her what they did to you. To me. To Chloe."

"Don't say her name.", Dr. Director shook her hand loose. Then she sat back down.

"I've met Kimberly. She wouldn't kill a fly. Why could they possibly want her?"

Anne shook her head. "I don't know. We made so many decisions so that this would never happened. You started the first world wide less-than-lethal law enforcement agency. I took the Hippocratic Oath for God's sake. We've saved so many lives.

"I guess it turns out that the black hands of Noir are harder to wash off that we suspected."

"It's not a joke.", Betty declared.

"It wasn't meant to be.", Anne replied.

They sat in silence for a moment. Anne took a sip of her tea while Betty only let it cool.

"Did James tell you that they wanted her?", Dr. Director asked.

Anne shook her head. "Our first warning was the first trial. James said he would talk to them."

"Like Laurent Bouquet?", Betty asked. Now was Anne's turn to glare.

"Yes.", Anne admitted. "And just like then, her family could lose everything. I don't know if I could walk the path we've chosen if that happened."

The two women looked up at the same time and reflexively reached for weapons that were not there. "Wade?", they both asked at the same time.

The boy walked up to the two. "I'm sorry, but could I ask one of you to push out a seat. I'm not really here, but it would look really weird standing here talking to you."

Anne used one of her long legs to slide out a third seat. Wade's hologram took care to appear to climb into the seat. Betty's eye narrowed. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Mr. Load?"

"Curiosity as usual.", Wade replied. "I just wanted to ask, do you know what your daughter just asked me? Over the Kimmunicator, no less.

"Can I find out who the Soldats are? Can you believe that?"

Anne and Betty glanced at each other and it was nearly as if none of the years had gone by. "And what did you tell her?", Betty began. "You are her handler. Were you able to get her anything on...what did you call them...Soldats?"

Wade's eyes narrowed. "Far be it from me to not fear the true Noir...as diluted as the case may be. But I do wonder where your daughter would learn such a word as 'Soldat'. I would very much like an answer."

"Have you been helping my daughter just on their behalf all this time?", Mrs. Dr. Possible asked.

Wade turned to her. "No. Of course not. A child prodigy all on his own volition chose to help just your daughter in particular become the most famous hero in the world. Yeah, that happened.

"Now how did she find out that word?"

"I don't know.", Anne told him. "But I'm not sorry. She needs to know what she's up against."

"The saplings need different amounts of water and light. That's why they're planted in different soil.", Wade countered.

Anne tried to grab the little snot but his hologram wafted away. She turned to Betty.

"I don't think you helped your husband, Mirielle.", Dr. Director told her. "Calm down. Think through what this really means."

She stood and left enough to cover the tea. Then she laid a sugar fork in front of the neurosurgeon. "Sorry. Just in case."


	4. Chapter 4

Shelia Go, sapling- "Noir. It is the name of an ancient fate. Two maidens who govern death. The sanctity of the innocent, their scorched hands protect."

1

"Dr. D, move your ass!", Shego screamed at him. Dr. Drakken, as Drew Lipsky still thought of himself, wanted Shego to not yell at him. He was already scrunched over by her hand on the nape of his neck- way to close for such volume. On the other hand, bullets were ripping his lab to pieces. Perhaps she really felt that he would not here her.

The men in black suits and sunglasses had stormed through the lair. They had met no real resistance. Ever since gaining a world wide pardon for (being credited for) saving the world from the Lowardians, the two had felt there was no need for the traps that usually permeated their headquarters. Even the Horde was not present, finally having an opportunity to use their educational co-pays. And that defenselessness had forced Shego into a blaze of return fire.

The men at the door were physically pushed back at the physical force of the plasma burning them. Shego dragged Drakken over to the door and ducked her head out and in again. Bullets whizzed through the space her face had occupied. Her clawed hand let loose with return fire. Her next glance saw that the corridor was clear. One former criminal mercenary dragged another former criminal...let's use 'mastermind' down that hall.

This procedure was repeated. Shego would spot, blaze, and drag like applying conditioner to her hair. Yes, she was leaving a charred trail of bodies. Fortunately, the man that was in her right hand was freaked out and panicking enough for the two of them.

Eventually, the two reached the hovercar's garage. The enemy had staked out the position as a possible escape route. The blue vehicle had to fly over the torched remains of a few SUVs.

When they were safely in the air and Shego had managed to get Dr. Drakken calmed to the point where he would simply crash, Shego jammed a speed dial on the hovercar's viewscreen. "Get me your boss, pronto!", she told the blue uniformed agent. "And I mean the big one!"

As soon as Dr. Director was on screen, Shego continued her tirade. "So this is how you want to play it? Lower our defenses with this pardon nonsense and then bump us off. Well if we no longer have goals and only casualties, then let's have at it!"

The elder questioned. "Ms. Go, what are you referring to?"

"The hit squad of feds you just sent after us.", Shego replied. "I don't think you're getting very many back, by the way."

Dr. Director gestured off screen. "I assure you, this is the first I'm learning of any attack. We're bringing up your lair on satellite now."

Then she gasped. "Infrared sees a lot of prone persons and none of them are moving."

"There were more than that.", Shego stated. "I didn't exactly chill them out if you get my meaning."

Betty frowned. "I can only state that this was not our motion. While you may have a plan, I would like to offer you an alternative. A hoverjet can rendevous with your craft, with only our top agent on board. I doubt an agency that utilized civilian vehicles could affect you on one."

Dr. Drakken had actually been listening. He flicked another button on the display. The immediately when monochromatic. Dr. Director roller her eye. "Infrared is filtered on espionage communications, Mr. Lipsky. You won't be able to tell if I'm lying that way."

"Nngh.", Drakken growed.

Shego cut the transmission entirely. "What do you think?"

"Having my technology thwarted by an attractive girl is positively enchanting compared to subsonic shards of metal attempting to kill me.", he confided.

Shego glared at him. "I meant do you think she was lying or not?"

"Oh.", Drakken said nearly dismissively. "She was telling the truth. Her blinking pattern and harmonic resonance matched her questioning of us during our pardon's interrogation and not her answers."

Shego hit the speed dial again. Dr. Director was waiting patiently. "Alright, you got a deal. We meet up mid-air. Only a single agent!"

Dr. Director nodded. "I will have Agent Du call you with arrangements."

"But if I smell anything like this again...", warned. "I'm blaming you. And I'm going to take it out on the whole world."

Dr. Director's frown deepened.

2

Dr. Director was not pleased. The Soldats were not simply lashing out at...No, that's not true. She was lashing out at Mirielle. The Soldats were simply up to their old tricks.

The Soldats were testing saplings again. If Mirielle and she were still serving as the 'true' Noir, perhaps they would not be testing others. Perhaps they would be dead. But whatever fate they had avoided, it was now going to be inflicted upon innocent girls. Well, Shego may not be exactly innocent.

This event was going to cause havoc world wide. If they're considering Shego, then who else was in the mix? And sure, a criminal like Shego might jump to a worse case scenario. And sure Kimberly Anne Possible, the daughter of Mirielle Bouquet, was much more able to keep it together. On the other hand, Drakken was in the crossfire with Shego, every psych profile she had in Team Possible's head's dossier screamed at the necessity of keeping Ron Stoppable alive. One stray bullet and the girl who could do anything would. Let alone whatever equally talented murderesses were out there, waiting to go psycho and the drop of a hit squad.

She was going to have to ask Mirielle something that she would never have thought she would have to do again. Allow her to quietly mouse behind her, searching for Soldats and racking up a body count.


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Anne Possible, true Noir-"Noir… It is the name of an ancient fate. Two maidens who govern death. To ward the darkness from the nursing babes, their black robes serve as shields."

1

Mirielle Bouquet walked the streets of Paris as a near native again. The tight, red, sleeveless, turtle neck and micro skirt tried their best to show a sign of aging and displayed none. Her sleek movements despite her practiced normality and height of fashion boots and small purse would give her away to anyone who could look for the signs. Even the crystal blue eyes hid a constant shifting of thoughts behind glassy pools. The only difference between this and nearly two decades ago was the died and straightened hair that curved in a slick carrot style instead of the blonde tresses she grew up with.

That one person who could see the signs walked in her peripheral vision. Kirika Yuumara could easily be overlooked. A small, Japanese woman trying to get lost in a bleached white hoodie. Her short denim skirt and lighter blue shirt was as generic as possible. Even the duffel bag slung over a shoulder was bland. The only thing even approaching something with personality was a pair of highly worn pink sneakers. And an eye patch.

The two quietly made their way down the Parisian streets. The old city in the middle of one of the world's leading superpowers flipped personality at the drop of a hat. Sometimes holding pedestrians along narrow paths of cobblestone that were barely wide enough for a horse while at other times bristling with metropolitan bustle. It reflected the Soldats themselves. Subtle. Grandiose. Full of hidden surprises yet inevitablity.

They had come upon their destination. An ornate and modern and sky scraping and easily over looked all at once building. The two women glanced at each other. The unspoken question, infiltration or full frontal assault. They both slumped their shoulders and swore another private oath to keep people on the planet instead of the afterlife.

2

The power had stayed on miraculously, considering the force that had apparently decided to rip the building in half. The occupants of the office tried to keep up with the alarms and constant reports of losing floors to the assailants, but that was impossible for merely mortal men. But when the lights cut off, the office plunged into darkness. Even the floor to ceiling plate glass windows in the middle of the day somehow had their drapes fully drawn over.

When the lights came back up, the two men sitting on opposite sides of the only desk were not alone.

"You will step aside if you fear the heart of darkness.", Mirielle told Remy Breffort as she pointed a Walther P99 at the him at his desk from behind the man seated on the other side of his desk.

"You will step aside if you fear the black hands of death.", Kirika told Señor Senior Sr. as she pointed a Beretta 1934 at him from behind Breffort.

Both of them wore green blazers, held unique canes and a pin on their lapel. The engraved figures on those pins would have been the spitting image of Mirielle and Kirika if they held swords, had their modesty only slightly hidden by flowing cloth and the fluffiness of their hair remained.

"It has been a long time, Mirielle.", Breffort reminded.

Mirielle cocked her firearm. "Perhaps, I misspoke. You will leave my daughter alone."

Kirika cocked her firearm. "You will leave all of them alone. The trials and any 'Grand Retour' are over as of now."

"I apologize, Madame Possible.", Senior spoke. "But that's simply impossible."

Mirielle spun the old man around in his chair. "My daughter had the opportunity to kill you the moment you started waving your supervillainy around like a status symbol. If she becomes the murderer you want her to be, you might be very close to the top of her list."

The Spaniard sighed. "And what do you think I was trying to do?"

Both women were now taken aback. Breffort frowned and folded his hands.

SeñorSenior Sr. continued. "You know that as a Soldat, I understood I was facing a sapling. And that I was announcing my status as a sinner. What do you think I expected to happen?

"Once the young Ms. Possible started globe trotting and thwarting villains, I accepted the responsibility of opportunity. It would be a grand sacrifice, perhaps even martyrdom, to be the first sinner murdered by your daughter. So I flaunted the Book of Evil and outlandish plots exclusively to her so that she could see me as one-dimensionally as possible. It was the first time my son embraced the ideology of the Soldats, and it moved my heart."

Mirielle was unmoved. "And Breffort, what happened to 'Power and wealth are what make the world turn upon its axis'? You didn't approve of Altena's approach before, why now?"

The white haired man looked down. "One word: Lowardians.

"The problems of the world that you ditched out on was the War on Terror. All Noir were fielded to tackle a problem in the world. Whether it was assassinating crucial bureaucrats during the Cold War, making sure certain Allied and Axis scientists found an early grave during World War one...even the Black Plague's curtailment through a culling of vectors, Noir saved mankind. I did not believe that a pair of assassins were going to aid a crisis of idealogues attempting to turn back the clock on the rules of warfare that the Soldats have managed to make nearly universal over the centuries. Particularly when they were going to be headed by an idealogical fanatic such as Altena.

"But the Lowardians changed all that. The previous...visitors, let's say. We managed to arrive at an understanding every time. This allowed the rest of humanity just a bit more time to catch up. But that's the problem with a War on Terror. It's not an enemy, it's a method. It's independently invented. Only a unified society that can agree within itself to at least not settle differences with random violence has a hope against such a threat. We've run out of time. Humanity must be corrected-now.

"So every single sinner in the world will need to be put down. Immediately. Noir will be fielded. And their hands will blacken."

And this was when Breffort became truly ominous. "And Ms. Bouquet: if you feel the need to kill me for returning to the Soldats original task. The only important task. Go ahead. You will simply be returning to what is necessary. Noir taking sinners from the world. I have no illusions. I am an evil man. Give up your Hippocratic Oath. Harm. It's what you were supposed to do."

"And if your daughter is lucky enough to survive her trials, she may get to murder me in your stead."

Señor Senior Sr. smiled wistfully. "So now that your tactical objectives are not coming to fruition, may I ask what your motivations were? Because while we will be tough and fair, your daughter and Ms. Go are merely saplings among many."

"How did you know my concerns?", Kirika asked.

The two looked to each other. It was nearly verbatim doctrine from the Soldats. "The Soldats have spread themselves like seed across the land, in all the societies of man."


	6. Chapter 6

Dr. Anne Possible, true Noir-"Noir… It is the name of an ancient fate. Two maidens who govern death. To ward the darkness from the nursing babes, their black robes serve as shields."

1

"You know you're going to have to tell us what's actually going on, Dad.", Tim told him.

"Remember when you didn't tell us how the scramjet is microtized?", Jim reminded.

Mr. Dr. Possible glared down from his full height at his rapidly growing sons. "You tore apart both my home's central air conditioning and the Sloth to build a nanotech version piloted by Rufus."

"Remember when you didn't tell us where brain waves come from?", Tim reminded.

The man hung his head. "We had to irradiate it before it ascended."

"Remember when you didn't tell us where Mom went?", the two asked in unison.

Their father glared at the two. "Alright. You were going to hear this anyway. Go get your sister and I cannot stress this enough, not Ronald."

"They're at Bueno Nacho...making Kissy-Face.", they replied.

He visibly shuddered. "You know how I feel about that."

"That's why we say it.", Tim said. "Hickabickaboo!", Jim elated. "Hoosha!", Tim agreed.

"Let me try this again.", Mr. Dr. Possible.

"Once upon a time, the whole world was going to straight to hell. Men were committing every heinous act they possibly could. Sin remained to accumulate and innocence had nearly died.

"So a pact was made between men who knew the nature of the world. Back during the turn of the first millennium the seeds of the Soldats were sewn. They swore to correct the world. They spread to all the institutions of men, from Basque outward. Power and influence were accrued for the correction to the world problems."

At this time, the rocket scientist pulled out a silver pocket watch. Forged into the cover, were two bathed in cloth girls clutching swords.

"Noir. Two girls would be selected to correct the world's ills. They would soak up the sins of the world. They would assassinate evil in all its forms, removing sin from the world. Their only anchors would be themselves.

"The candidates are referred to as 'saplings'. It's said that 'It is our duty to raise the saplings in different soils, with different amounts of water and light.'. Maidens...hhhh...virgins from around the world who show a particular talent, a murder-savant are declared saplings. They're put through trials...No that's not right. To ensure their talents, the Soldats try to kill them."

The twins looked at each other. "You mean like boot camp or combat sims?"

"No.", their father told them. "Saplings are 'put through the harshest trials with the truest knights'. If they would actually fall, then they won't be killed or so goes the idea. And those are the first trials. There's that they have to be exposed to the truth after it's been hidden from them, to show that they can be exposed to the sins of the world that they will excise. The survivors are eventually pitted against each other. 'Hopefully', the two that have bonded the most are the expected winners."

Tim stopped him. "Wait a minute. You said they showed a talent."

"From birth.", the man said. "Some are prepared, if they're spotted soon enough. They may even be given tasks, preemptively.

"Over the centuries, the Soldats became the world. Every single institution that matters now is under their influence. That's how the people that shot up our house didn't appear on any of the databases you reviewed."

"Why was that?", Jim asked.

"How do you know all this about a secret conspiracy?", Tim asked.

The two turned to each other. "Kim's a sapling! Dad's a Soldat! We're Illuminati!"

"No. _We_ aren't.", Mr. Dr. P stressed.

"Our family got involved after Mim left. The fact that she qualified as a sapling is the probably the only reason Ronald and Kimmie-cub aren't related. Mim...survived and was promoted through the Grand Retour. World War One ended a few weeks earlier due to her and her partner.

"You remember that one summer vacation when Nana wore the bikini?", he asked.

The twins started waving their hands and caterwhalling. "Ah! Why would you remind of us that? I just suppressed that memory."

"Do you remember the scar between her second to last and third to last rib on her left?", the man continued.

"Wasn't really trying to.", was the simultaneous reply.

"Another sapling put a road stone through her lung in order to be Noir.", he said. "On the other hand, it allowed us to keep our visibility in the Soldats. This allowed us stay pretty high profile. It's given our family a lot of opportunities."

"Like what?", Jim asked.

"Your grandmother going through Navy SEALs training forty years ahead of the curve, for one. And you getting access to certain highly classified fuels, nuclear fusion lasers, Lowardian death rays not being instantly confiscated during the clean up.", his father assured.

"So I was going to tell you boys. Eventually. I would have done so earlier."

The children regarded him. "Why not?"

And just then Mrs. Dr. Possible walked in. She saw the pocket watch, a perfect rendition of her father's. And she snapped.

She grabbed one of the framed pictures of Mr. Dr. Possible and a team of astronauts off the wall and hurled it. James Timothy Possible barely managed to cower in fear fast enough for the frame to spin past him and embed itself in his den's televison. "You told my babies that I'm a murderer!", she screeched.

"Anne!", he called out. He waved his arms in front of himself, begging her to calm down. "I haven't/"

"Don't you lie to me, James!", she cut him off. "How dare you! When you married me, we agreed. You wouldn't make them afraid of me! You would let them see mom the doctor not mom the serial killer. You would let me be someone to love not fear. God damn you, James."

"I'm not the one scaring them, Anne.", he said softly.

She whipped her head around. Two sets of her eyes and his hair were staring up at her. As a mother, she could recognize the shift in their feet: it was that 'maybe we won't get grounded if they can't catch us' her boys always tried to pull when another of their gadgets went hay wire.

"Please don't leave me.", she asked as she fell to her knees. "I can explain. I promise I can. I've always loved you boys. Don't go."

"Sure, mom.", Jim told her. Tim spoke. "We won't leave. Honest."

The woman grabbed them up and held on to them like nothing else in her life. "What did he tell you? I'm not that person anymore."

"He told us that he worked for the Soldats, mom.", Tim replied. "And that they control everything so that they could field Noir...s...es."

Jim continued. "And that great-grandma was one, but grandma didn't make the grade."

"That's it. Honest."

Anne looked up as if she could see heaven and was about to thank it. Then she looked to her husband. He stood sheepishly with his hands in his pockets. She mouthed rather than spoke to him, _Thank you_.

He lip synced back, _We'll talk about it later_.

"How did you manage to break the TV?", Jim asked.

Mrs. Dr. Possible sighed heavily. "First, I want you boys to know that I would never do anything to hurt you. I haven't killed anyone and I've only worked to save lives from the day your sister was born. You understand that, don't you?"

The twins began to squirm in her arms. "Sure mom.", they said in unison.

"Did your father explain what Noir was?", she asked.

"Two virgin assassins.", they replied.

Anne raised an eyebrow at their father. He shrugged.

"Well.", she began. "I was... I could have...Me and my partner successfully completed the Grand Retour. When the actual Soldats came to see the results, we told them that we would choose life. I chose to become a doctor and a mother. I didn't know your father worked for them. He told me he didn't know who I was and I believe him."

"Who was your partner?", Tim asked.

Anne's head bobbed around. "I don't know that that's for me to say."

"Where's your sister?", she asked.


End file.
